Naked is all over the news lately. Nude protests and actions have a long history, so not much should surprise us. Twenty women walked through Portland, Maine topless – because they could – it’s legal there. Artist, Antony Gormley’s art installation with 31 anatomically-correct, life-size, male statues currently stand watch on rooftops and on sidewalks over much of New York City. Some New Yorkers compare them to guardian angels.

Naked beaches, of course, have a long and current history, while naked parties emerged first at Yale and Brown in the 1980’s. Reportedly, and in my own experience, these events and venues are not only sex-free, but serve to “normalize” the naked body rather than over-sexualize it. Naked households, naked camps, and naked hiking have kept their images intact, as well.

The music video of Alanis Morrissette naked in L.A., and the more recent filming of Matt and Kim strolling and stripping in NYC could easily be dismissed as publicity stunts (they are promoting their music, afterall), there’s still an alluring innocence to the idea. (The copycat video of Erykah Badu confuses that innocence by combining the street-stripping with a violent ending.)

It seems we are still searching for a way to experience or return to a more natural state. A way to feel our roots, to find a kind of freedom to be and reveal our authentic selves. Naked beaches simply make sense. There’s not much more uncomfortable than women’s swimsuits and naked hiking was a surprising thrill when I first partook. The backyard in Summer is the most relaxed place to bare it all. Nature and Naked easily go together.

Nudity in more traveled, urban places will always be more problematic, and, in my view, much less practical. Clothing does serve it’s purpose, after all, especially in certain climates. For this reason, I don’t think legalizing nudity would mean we’d all be in the grocery store, on the subway or commuting to work on our bicycles naked, so why not just let that part go? I do believe that “less is more” will play out, a balance maintained and artistic nakedness can continue to remind us just who we are and where we came from.

It’s Spring. The ducks and other waterbirds are making nests. And the parents and kids are out in droves to watch, throwing bread, potato chips, cheese puffs and other junk food in their path and into the water.

I don’t want to be a Springtime Scrooge, but this is wrong on many levels. First, it’s not what birds should eat (heck, it’s far from good for humans). In fact, we shouldn’t be feeding wildlife at all. They are spending more time on land and near people and buildings and traffic. They are becoming less active and less healthy, and more aggressive with each other. While some communities are catching on, posting signs, most people are unaware of how disruptive their “good intentions” are.

Wild ducks need to eat the green foods that grow naturally in their environment in order to maintain good health and a normal lifespan. Their ability to fly and retain natural instincts for survival depends entirely on the foods they eat. By feeding wild (or dumped domestics) you are contributing to their early death, shortening their lives ten-fold. The only humans that should feed wild ducks are Wildlife Officials or Parks and Recreation staff. Only these people can make the determination that the ducks survival depends on their intervention. They feed only approved food that meets strict standards and contains the nutrition the ducks need, and do it in a controlled environment.

Ashley Braun of Grist.org reports on the one-year old Happy Meal here. It’s worth reading and looking at the photos, but f you’re short on time, here’s the bottom line: Author of Baby Bites, Nonna Joann, left a Happy Meal on her office shelf for one year. It did not decompose, it did not grow mold. It didn’t even smell. Ants or flies did not touch it.

Before and After photos show that it looks, yep, almost exactly the same. I wish I could say I was surprised. But the sad truth is that most fast food is not actually in any natural state that can respond in a normal way – outside the body – or inside the body.